Air distributor and current collector for circular knitting machines



Dec. 9, 1952 J. B. HOYT 2,620,642

AIR DISTRIBUTOR AND CURRENT COLLECTOR FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 30, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JOHN 5. Ho YT BY HIS ATTORNEYS WMW 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 IN V EN TOR.

1952 J. B. HOYT AIR DISTRIBUTOR AND CURRENT COLLECTOR FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 50, 1950 o l i. l! i w I m. 5

[i 'rl P JOHN B. How BY HIS ATTOPNEFS Dec. 9, 1952 J B HOYT 2,620,642

AIR DISTRIBUTOR AND CURRENT COLLECTOR FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed NOV. 50, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

JOHN B. HOYT BY HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 9, 1952 AIR DISTRIBUTOR AND CURRENT COL- LECTOR FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES John B. Hoyt, Laconia, N. H., assignor to Scott & Williams, Incorporated, Laconia, N. H., a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 30, 1950, Serial No. 198,349

7 Claims.

This invention relates to an air distributor and current collector for circular knitting machines and more particularly for machines with revolving needle cylinders. On circular knitting machines and more particularly multi-feed underwear circular knitting machines, the lint caused by breakage of the fibres as the yarns pass through yarn guides or contact other parts of the machine may be picked up or carried by the yarn into the knitting needles. This sometimes causes a hole or thick place in the fabric. The result of such an occurrence may be an unsalable piece of fabric or breakage of some of the needles in the machine. For this reason it is customary to stop periodically machines which are not equipped with automatic means for lint removal and to clean them manually. 'The resulting loss of production makes it desirable to provide lint removal means on such machines. I provide air je't's'directed at such an angle that they blow on certain parts of the machine at predetermined intervals to prevent the collection of lint. It also is desirable on such machines, particularlyv when they are knitting rib or balbriggan fabric, to provide illumination for the fabric from the inside of the tube so that it can be inspected as it moves down from the circle of needle to the fabric takeup mechanism. It will be seen that the outlets for both the electric current and the compressed air are necessarily revolving in a revolving needle cylinder machine but the air supply and the electric current supply are necessarily stationary. It is the object of the present invention to provide a device which will be a compact and efiicient means of supplying the compressed air and the electric current from stationary sources to outlets which are necessarily revolving. It is characteristic of my invention that there is a unitary support for the lamp and the air jets having a revoluble portion supported from a stationary portion.

The invention will be shown and described embodied in one of the well-known Scott 8: Williams underwear machines with revolving needle cylinder.

In the drawings:

-Fig. 1 is a skeleton perspective view from the right front of a Scott 8; Williams revolving. needle cylinder underwear circular knitting machine in which my invention has been embodied;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view on a larger scale from the rear of the machine of Fig. 1, showing the middle of the machine; while Fig, 3 is a view in elevation, partly in vertical section, of my novel unitary support for the lamp and the compressed air cleaning jets.

v Referring now to the particular embodiment shown in the drawings, the multi-feed underwear machine shown has the usual frame I and is driven by a motor 2. The usual revolving needle cylinder 3 contains needles arranged vertically and is supported by the usual stationary bedplate 4. There is also a dial 5 whose needles cooperate with the cylinder needles in the production of rib fabric (Fig. 2). I provide a plurality of yarn guides 6 which feed yarns directly to the needles in the usual manner. These yarn guides 6 are carried on the stationary dial cap 8 which in turn is supported on a cros bar or spider 9. The spider is supported from the bedplate 4 by posts II. There are posts In which extend downward from the spider and serve to prevent rotation of the dial cap 8. There are posts It also extending above the spider, as hereinafter described. The spider does not revolve. Mounted above the spider 9 is a dial gear guard ring I2. Around the periphery of this ring are eyes I3 through which the yarns 1 pass down to the yarn guides 6. This guard ring I2 is supported in part by the long posts I 4 and in part by housings for the dial gear drive. The long post-s extend above the guard ring some distance to assist in supporting a yarn bobbin stand IS. The yarn cones I6 rest on the bracket I5. The yarns from these cones descend through the bracket to detectors l1 fixed on the under face of the yarn bobbin bracket 15. Preferably'the yarn from the cones l6 first pass upwardly through eyes 18 to droppers I9 supported well above the rest of the machine and thence downwardly through a guide circle 20 to broken yarn detectors l1 fixed underneath the yarn bobbin stand. I have shown only one detector in the drawings but actually there are as many detectors as there are yarns. From these broken yarn detectors the yarns go to the eyes l3 in the guard ring I 2. Any other usual method of threading up the-machine can be used in place of the one described. I provide the usual fabric takeup mechanism 2| near the bottom of the frame. I have provided a compact and efiicient unitary means for a. revolving needle cylinder machine to supply compressed air to revolving air jets and also electric current to the lamp which is to illuminate the knitted fabric tube as it moves from the needles to the takeup mechanism. The

hollow spindle 22 is internally threaded and receives a lamp socket 23 in which the lamp bulb 24 is screwed. It will be seen that the lamp will revolve with the dial and spindle. The upper end of the spindle is. also internally threaded. Screwed into the spindle is the revolving portion of my unitary air distributor and current collector device. This revoluble portion of my unitary support includes an air chamber base 25 screwed into the upper end of the dial spindle 22 and an air chamber 25 screwed to the base. The base 25 is bored axially to permit passage of an electric wire 54 passing downwardly to the lamp socket 23. chamber 26 is securedan insulating ring 2! lying on the periphery of the chamber 26 and on the upper face of the insulating ring is an upstanding current collector ring 28. This ring 28. presents a high peripheral face to the contact brush hereinafter described. There is a threaded nipple 29 screwed into the center of the upper face of the air chamber 26. This directs the compressed air supply into a central pocket 30 in the element constituting the chamber. Radiatingfrom this central pocket are a series of horizontal passageways 3| each connected to one of the jets. To onev side of the nipple 29 is a vertical opening 32 in the chamber 26 extending from top to bottonn, The upper face of the air chamber base 2.5 and the lower face of the air chamber itself are recessed near the center so that while they fit tightly around their periphery there is space between them at the center for a wire 54 coming down through the vertical hole 32 to reach the axially central opening 33 in the base 25 and thereby pass out through the base into the dial spindle 22. In this Way a wire from the current collector 28 can reach the lamp socket 23 without being exposed in any way to the compressed air supply. The fact that the Wiring for the electric. current passes the distribution point of the compressed air non-axially makes it possible to keep the wiring independent from the compressed air. This is important because the compressed air is always liable to have a considerable amount of moisture. This moisture is harmful to electric wiring. and especially if blown down onto the electrical contacts of the lamp. The isolation is complete, as shown in Fig. 3. The vertical hole 32 passes downwardly through the air chamber between the radial passages 3| for the air jet connection without opening into any of those passages.

The upper end of the threaded nipple 29 is unitary with the lower end of a pressure joint 34, 35.. This pressure joint is designed to transmit compressed air from a stationary air supply to arotating member. Any suitable form of commercial pressure joint adapted to transmit gases under pressure from a stationary to a rotary part can be used as the joint in my invention. I have shown a ball bearing connection between the stationary and rotary parts. The rotating part 34 of this pressure joint is connected to the threaded nipple as mentioned, while the upper part 35 which is stationary is connected to an elbow pip fitting 36 and a horizontal pipe 31 going to the air supply source.

I will now describe the meam by which the electric current is furnished to the revolving current collector 28 on my unitary support. There is a horizontal bracket 38 surrounding the upper end of the stationary part 35 of the joint. It is secured thereon by means of a set screw 39. This-bracket extends laterally beyond the sta- To the upper face of the air lector 28.

4 tionary part 35 of the joint. On one side of the bracket as shown in Fig. 3 there is a short vertical post 40 extending upwardly from the bracket between the legs of the stationary bobbin stand, I5. The pin engages against one of the arms of the bobbin stand. and holds. the bracket on the stationary part 35 of the pressure joint against rotation. On the opposite side of the bracket is a depending arm 4| extending down toa position opposite the revolving current col- The lower end of this circumferentially stationary arm carries a brush holder 42. In this holder is mounted a brush 43 facing inwardly toward the peripheral face of the current collector 28. A compression spring, not shown, is so arranged as to press the brush 43 against the current collector 28. The brush holder 42 is connected by an electric wire 44 to one lead of the secondary winding of a trans former 45 connected to the power supply 46. The secondary lead of the transformer is grounded, and since one post of the lamp socket 2.3 is also grounded the circuit is thus completed through the machine. Air is supplied intermittently to the horizontal pipe 31 and the stationary part 35 of the pressure joint from a timing valve 4'! (see Fig. 2).. The compressed air supply comes to the valve: from a pipe 48 by any suitable means.

In the drawings I have shown several air jets. Some of. these jets may be stationary as, for example, the jet 49 leading tothe needles and their beds directly from the timing valve 41- The other jets as showncome through the radial passages 31 in my unitary support and comprise the following. l'ihere is an air jet 5!! directed downward toward the yarn guides 6 which feed yarn directly tov the needles. There is a jet 5t shown pointed at the. edge of the dial gear guard 12. This jet, if needed, could also be directed equally well to the yarn tensions or the stop motion detector ll. 5 Another jet 5-2 is. pointed upwardly at the stopmotion droppers I9. Another jet 53 is pointed at the cones of yarn on the bobbin stand. While all these jets are described as-being intended to clean particular elements on the knitting. machine, it should be understood that they are made of copper tubingand so they are adjustable and can be directed to blow on other objects. All the jets described as. being supplied from the air chamber 25 revolve with the dial spindle 22..

Itv will be obvious that when the machine is running the dial spindle 22 and the lamp bulb will revolve. The current'for the lamp will be received from the transformer through the brush 43 contacting the current collector 28 and will return through the grounded leg of the circuit. While this current is being brought in to the lamp through the current collector and the wire 54, it will be obvious that any discharge of compressed air called for by the timing valve "will be received at the nipple 29 and will be distributed to the revolving jets 55, 5'1, 52 and 53 without in any way coming in contact with the electrical circuit. It will be noted that the electricity enters the unitary support above the distribution point of the compressed air and leaves it below the distribution point of the compressed air. Thus, we have a unitary support in which electric current is supplied to the'inspection lamp below the needle circle by means of an electrical circuit which overlaps the air supply means coming from above.

It will be obvious'that my unitary device may equally well be applied to an open top machine,

i. e., one not having a dial, the air chamber in that case being rotated by any suitable means from the drive shaft of the knitting machine.

It will be noted that in a knitting machine embodying my invention, we have a revolving needle cylinder and although the electric current supplies a rotating lamp through the same unit, the air is delivered to a revolving unit from which it is directed by properly aimed revolving jets to blow the lint off certain parts of the machine at predetermined intervals.

What I claim is:

1. A circular knitting machine having a revolving needle circle to knit fabric, an electrical lamp below the circle of needles to illuminat the knitted fabric from the inside and air jets to clean lint on? the machine, an axially central, unitary support for the lamp and air jets, comprising a revoluble portion supporting the lamp at its lower part and the air jets at the upper part, in combination with a non-revoluble portion carrying the revoluble portion and providing passage for the air supply to the revolving portion and the jets, and means on the revoluble portion supplying electric current for the lamp passing the distribution point of the compressed air nonaxially.

2. A circular knitting machine having a revolving needle circle to knit fabric, an electrical lamp below the circle of needles to illuminate the knitted fabric from the inside and air jets to clean lint off the machine, in combination with an axially central, unitary support for the lamp and air jets, comprising a revoluble portion supporting the lamp at its lower part and the air jets at the upper part, and a non-revoluble portion carrying the revoluble portion and providing passage for the air supply to the revolving portion and the jets, and a stationary electrical contact outside but contacting the revolving portion of the support to provide an electrical connection to the lamp. Y

3. A circular knitting machine according to claim 2 in which the air jets are below the stationary electrical contact and there is a bracket pivoted on the non-revoluble portion of the support carrying the stationary electrical contact so that it engages the revolving portion of the support peripherally, in combination with a post on the bracket adapted to engage against a nonrevoluble part of the machine, whereby the nonrevoluble portion of the unitary support and the stationary electrical contact are held against rotation.

4. A circular knitting machine according to claim 1 in which in the revolving portion of the unitary support there is an air chamber member in which there is an axial top opening to receive the air and radiating passages therefrom connecting to the jets, and there is an electrical connection in the air chamber member passing vertically between but isolated from the air jets and thence down to the lamp.

5. A circular knitting machine according to claim 4 in which there is an electrical contact ring on the revolving portion above the air jets, an electrical wire from the ring to the lamp and means in the revolving portion of the support be low the air chamber to carry the wire and lamp axially of the support.

6. A circular knitting machine according to claim 1 in which the compresed air and electrical supply points are both stationary where they attach to the unitary support and the air and electricity are supplied revolubly to revolving jets and lamp by the unitary support.

7. A circular knitting machine according to' claim 6 in which there is an axial sliding contact for the air supply between the stationary and revolving portions of the support and a peripheral sliding contact for the electrical supply below that point but above the revolving lamp.

JOHN B. HOYT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

